The "Hindu Pakistan" comment by Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has drawn a lot of flak and for the first time the term was used widely. But, Shashi Tharoor is not the man who coined the term first, it has turned out.
During a speech in Rajya Sabha on 9 August in 2017, on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Quit India Movement, CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury had made a comment with the term "Hindu Pakistan". He had warned the "communal forces" against creating a "Hindu Pakistan". He had also used the terminology during his farewell speech in the House.
Now, when beleaguered Congress leader Shashi Tharoor braces brickbats for his supposed indiscretion, stating, "If voted back to office, BJP would change the Constitution to make India a Hindu Pakistan," Yechuri has said he is not going to condemn Shashi Tharoor. Instead, he took credit for coining the term "Hindu Pakistan".
Following the backlash, Shashi Tharoor issued a clarification on his comment:
However, it can be noted that Congress has distanced itself from Shashi Tharoor's comment on Hindu Pakistan.
Congress leader Jaiveer Shergill even put out a statement: “Leaders of the Congress party should exercise caution. Governments will come and go, but India's constitution will not allow India to become Pakistan. I appeal to all Congress leaders and workers to be careful about the statements they make.
Should Yechury also be taken to task, as he has owned up the term, Hindu Pakistan? Unlikely. The communists do not enjoy a nationwide electoral footprint unlike the Congress. The BJP may choose to ignore him unless some journalist reaches out to a spokesperson, seeking the party's reaction to Yechury.